Hand and Wrist Pain and Injuries

You probably know someone with a wrist or hand injury.

You thought, “Well, at least they have their other hand.”

But you never realized how much you need your hands – for everything! Until you find yourself with pain on your mind all day long.

You hope it’s a fluke and will go away on its own, but you also worry that this could be permanent! You also have a busy schedule and don’t have time to go to appointments.

“It’ll eventually go away, right?”

Sitting at a computer using a mouse all day might create numbness or tingling in your hand or wrist. Symptoms start gradually until they eventually feel like you stuck your finger in an electric outlet.

You noticed that you couldn’t feel the keyboard so well with your affected hand, and now you realize that fastening that button on your favorite pair of jeans is hard because you can’t feel what you are doing.

As a new mom, you may feel pain in the thumb side of the wrist from picking up your newborn multiple times per day. You may not recognize that picking up your newborn is causing your pain initially because all movements of the thumb seem just to hurt. And suddenly, you feel like you can’t bear the pain you feel when changing your child’s diaper. You may feel guilty and deficient. You hate having to get help with caring for your newborn… the one thing that you are supposed to be able to accomplish.

As a dad, you may have dislocated a finger while diving for a basketball. Your favorite thing is playing a game with your child, but now you have THIS to worry about. You put your thoughts on hold, hoping that you just “jammed” your finger and that it will heal on its own. Except it doesn’t feel like it’s healing, and your finger now looks crooked.

As a retiree, you may have fractured a wrist from falling while chasing after a grandkid. You can bend the wrist, but it feels stiff and painful, and you wonder if it’s broken. An X-ray may have determined your wrist was fractured. After surgery or casting, you are now stiff and painful.

“Will it ever get better?”

These injuries can be painful and debilitating.

The fingers and wrist can quickly become stiff and painful, making it hard to sleep well, button a shirt, brush your teeth, or tie your shoes.

You can’t seem to bend your wrist or fingers enough to pull up that pair of pants, or you can’t stand the pain!

Your favorite drinking glass suddenly feels like it weighs ten pounds, and cutting your food feels impossible.

The idea of asking for help is dreadful. So you suffer.

You no longer accept invites to dinner.

You’re tired of telling people about your pain because you feel like their eyes glaze over in boredom.

You’ve probably heard of carpal tunnel syndrome.

This is just one of many common hand and wrist conditions.

You might also suffer from tendinitis, arthritis, triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injuries, distal radius or ulna fractures, scaphoid fractures, finger dislocations, trigger fingers, etc. These conditions affect people of all ages.

The hand and wrist are very complex. They’re made up of 27 bones, over 100 ligaments supporting the wrist and finger joints, 34 muscles that give your hand strength, and numerous nerves and blood vessels.

The wrist and fingers work together to allow you to open a jar (why are they all so tight these days?), zip up your favorite jacket, and give a high-five to your favorite kid (just kidding, you aren’t allowed to have a favorite).

Repetitive motion, overuse, or traumatic injuries can all cause hand and wrist injuries or pain.

You have options for your rehab…

Often, the fingers can feel so painful that it can feel exhausting and unrewarding to come into a traditional clinic and be pushed to the point of pain.

After fighting traffic to get there, you sit in a waiting room to do uncomfortable exercises in a large room while your therapist must attend to other patients, too.

I’ve treated many patients in these clinics, and I understand.

You CAN get better. Treatment is here… and convenient!

I will evaluate your wrist and hand during our first appointment. I will do a visual inspection, assessing your range of motion and identifying what’s behind your injury and pain.

I will then develop a custom rehabilitation treatment plan specifically for you and your injury:

Active exercises…

I’ll create a program that will include exercises to help maintain flexibility in all directions that the fingers and wrist move. A healthy wrist and hand rely on the balance of the muscles and ligaments that provide support and strength.

Self-assisted motion…

When stiffness is present, the hand needs stretching. There are specific ways to do this, and I will demonstrate that for you in a real-time video so that you don’t cause more harm than good. I am also here to answer all your questions that you have been wondering about.

Activity modifications…

Often, the advice you get from family and friends when you tell them that an activity is painful is, “Well, just don’t do that then.” I don’t believe in telling you to refrain from doing the things you love. There are several ways to achieve a goal. We can find a way for you to do your hobbies and work with less pain. This might require simple position changes or splints/supports, but I feel confident we can find a way to help you be you again.

Tracking your progress…

Each week, I will ask you how you have been doing with your progress with your individualized program. We’ll work together to determine what you like, don’t like, what’s hard for you, etc. We’ll change what isn’t working and replace it with a routine that will work. This is about you, and I want you to feel confident and comfortable. No rehab is successful if it’s not something you feel comfortable doing – that is the key.

Let me help you return to your life again.

Virtual hand therapy gives you the flexibility of healing from your hand and wrist injury wherever you feel the most comfortable. I’ll work with you to make rehabilitating your hand or wrist injury convenient and innovative.

Don’t wait to return to your life again. Contact me today for a free 15-minute consultation: info@chrgtherapy.com.